


The Never-Ending Universe

by thesadchicken



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, M/M, based on art, beautiful art too if I may add
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesadchicken/pseuds/thesadchicken
Summary: Picard dies. Or does he?Written for the 2017 Qcard Big Bang.Based on art by MetalBunny (trash-cardassian on tumblr)





	The Never-Ending Universe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MetalBunny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalBunny/gifts).



_The universe is never-ending._

Picard opens his eyes and breathes the words. “The universe is never-ending.”  He pushes himself out of bed, he washes his face and brushes his teeth, takes a sonic shower, and he gets dressed. He buttons his uniform and slips his boots on. Mechanically, involuntarily, unthinkingly.

He doesn’t eat much. Just a cup of Earl Grey tea, hot.

The ship looks the same. His crew smile politely as they pass him by in the corridors.  The turbolift still makes him dizzy. The bridge is still buzzing with life.

And yet today everything seems different to Jean-Luc Picard. Today, he is going to die.

He lets himself fall onto his chair at the center of the bridge. He nods at Riker, says ‘good-morning’ to Deanna. He gives his usual orders and does his usual job. Nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed. The walls are closing in on him. All the voices around him sound distant. His fingertips are cold and his artificial heart is pounding.

He knows that today is the day. _Why me, why now?_ He can’t help but wonder. He can’t help but feel angry, just a tiny bit, at the cruelty of the universe.

The never-ending universe.

Why is that phrase stuck in his head? He gives another order or two, dismisses Deanna’s worried glances and decides to take a small break in his ready-room.

He loves his job. He loves his crew members and his quarters and his flute and his holographic horses and even the small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He loves his life. There were times where he almost wished he were dead, but reflecting back on them now he shakes his head in disbelief. Oh how he wishes he had a day more to live.

He drinks some more tea, alone in his ready-room, and this time he savors it. Every sip is precious; every sip is like the last.

When he walks back onto the bridge, he knows his officers have been talking about him. He smiles to himself; they always worry about it. Deanna wants to talk to him in private. ‘Later’, he tells her, and he smiles again at her determination. He will miss them all.

His shift ends and for a moment he considers going to Ten Forward before retiring to his quarters. But Guinan would know, Guinan would feel it. He doesn’t want to cause her pain.  And he does not want to think of pain.

So he walks to his quarters, very slowly, very calmly. He watches _the Enterprise_ from a different point of view. He says farewell to every corner he leaves behind.

Unthinkingly, involuntarily, mechanically. He slips his boots off and unbuttons his uniform. He takes a sonic shower, washes his face and brushes his teeth. He falls into bed. He knows that when he goes to sleep, he will not wake up. He will not see another morning. He is oddly calm, however.

Goodbye, universe. _Never-ending universe_.

And it happens. He dies. It’s utter darkness for a moment, but then he’s awake. He tries to remember the nothingness that preceded this, but it’s simply impossible. He’s aware of a bright light shining onto his closed eyelids, and he knows he is standing on his two feet, his legs as strong as ever.

When Jean-Luc Picard blinks tentatively, he is shaking with excitement. So does the afterlife truly exist? Where will he be sent to now? What strange new worlds shall he explore?

“You’re not dead, Jean-Luc,” a familiar voice mockingly whispers in his ear.

 _Well, merde_.

Jean-Luc closes his eyes again, very quickly, and shakes his head. “Go away, Q. Let me rest in peace.”

A small chuckle resounds from behind him. “You’re not _dead_ , mon capitaine,” Q laughs, and suddenly Picard feels a warm human body pressing against his back. He stiffens.

“You’ve said the exact opposite before, and I still don’t know if you were lying or not.”

“Come now, Jean-Luc, at least give me the benefit of the doubt,” Q’s voice is still taunting.

“What are you doing here?”

Q’s very human body presses a bit more against Picard’s back and Picard wants to roll his eyes at this. “What. Are you. Doing here?” he repeats, firmly this time.

“I couldn’t just let you die, now, could I?” Q says in his usual nonchalant way.

Picard keeps his eyes shut. He will not submit to Q’s version of the afterlife again. He will not be toyed with again. “Please do. I’m _dying_ to die,” he mimics Q’s teasing attitude. 

“Very clever, captain,” Q sounds slightly upset, which makes Picard smile. “Now why don’t you open your eyes and have a look around, before you decide if you want to croak or not?”

“No, thank you. I’m perfectly content this way,” Picard lifts his chin stubbornly.

“Will you stop being a child?” Q scolds him, and the captain has to admit he feels himself blush. But oh, he is so tired, so sick of all this nonsense. He keeps his eyes shut.

“Why are you doing this?” he whispers, somewhere between anger and desperation. “Go pester someone else for a change. I am done.”

The warmth from Q’s body slowly fades as the entity seems to back away from Picard. “Jean-Luc,” he starts, but the words get stuck in his throat and he coughs awkwardly. In the silence that follows, Picard starts to wonder if this really is a game at all. He has never before seen Q like this, lost for words and almost…. embarrassed?

Then again, this could be another trick to get Jean-Luc to cooperate. For some unfathomable reason Q is insisting Picard must open his eyes.

Which is why Picard will not do it. Not yet.

Instead, he crosses his arms and sighs heavily. “I’m willing to stay here, like this, for eternity if necessary.”

“You really don’t trust me, do you?” Q’s voice sounds pained. Jean-Luc knows better than to believe it.

“Not one bit,” he replies, heartlessly.

“Why?” Q demands, and this time he sounds furious.

“Must I really answer that?” Picard scoffs.

There’s yet another moment of imperturbable silence. The afterlife is impossibly quiet. That is, until Q speaks.

“Trust me now,” the entity says, and Jean-Luc feels him again, pressing against his back, hands that were hanging loose at his sides now flying up to hold onto the captain’s shoulders reassuringly. “And if you do I promise you wonders beyond your wildest dreams.”

“I never asked for any of this, Q. I don’t want it.”

“Just trust me. Open your eyes and you’ll understand,” Q’s voice is almost _pleading_ , and Picard’s resolve begins to falter. What if this is as important as their last encounter? Picard is many things, but he is not stupid. He knows that without Q’s help the human race would be extinct. Doesn’t that count for something?

“ _Trust me,_ Jean-Luc.”

And Picard does it. He opens his eyes and everything happens at once.

The first thing he is aware of is Q’s left hand sliding up his hip to come rest on his chest, just above his artificial heart. The rest is a blur of colors and sounds and shapes: planets coming to life in a burst of gleaming dust, lovers holding hands under the rain, a Christmas tree, atom after atom of living beings flying past him at incredible speeds, a kitten lapping at a bowl of milk, a large ship sailing the sea, infinite space, children laughing in the distance…

“My God,” Jean-Luc gasps, as he starts to understand. His limbs are numb, his body is shaking. Slowly, he lifts a hand to his forehead and closes his eyes once more. “ _The never-ending universe_ ,” he mutters.

“Don’t be afraid, Jean-Luc,” Q is saying, his lips moving against the shell of Picard’s ear. “I’ll explain. You died last night in your sleep. It was a painless, peaceful death – I made sure of that. You chose not to say your farewells, although I gave you the chance. Not an unwise decision, but quite surprising nonetheless,” Q smiles against Picard’s cheek.

“You killed me?” the captain says, head and heart pounding, confusion tainting his every thought.

“Don’t be silly,” Q scolds him, “Of course not. I simply made your death easier. And then, well…”

At this exact moment, Jean-Luc chooses to open his eyes again. He feels like the entire conversation with Q has been a taunting game of peek-a-boo – until he sees the entire never-ending universe at his feet, spreading into infinity.

“…and then I created this. A whole universe just for you,” Q continues, wrapping his right arm around Jean-Luc’s waist. “I couldn’t let you die, you see. But existence is never-ending, and now… so are you.”

Picard knows he has just witnessed the start of a thousand new worlds; the creation of life from nothingness. And yet all he can think of is Q’s gesture – and its implications.

“Why make an entire new universe for me? Why not bring me back to life in the old one?”

“The Continuum has certain rules regarding the life and death of mortals,” Q says, his distaste for his own kin evident in his voice.

“So you found a way to skirt around the rules…” Picard nods, eyes fixed on the millions of stars ahead of him. Still one question haunts him. “But _why_?”

At this, Q goes inhumanly still. His chest stops its steady breathing motions and his body goes cold against Jean-Luc’s back. In a flash of blinding white light, he disappears, only to materialize a few milliseconds later right in front of the captain. His dark brown eyes shine with an entirely alien glow. He towers over Jean-Luc, tall and imposing. His face is expressionless.

“Because I can’t bear the thought of you ceasing to exist,” he says, “and I can’t bear being in a universe where you are not.”

Jean-Luc feels dizzy once again. The weight of Q’s confession leaves him speechless for a while. He stares into the entity’s eyes, trying to read mockery, a lie, a joke, an experiment. But no. This is true, and with every fiber of his being he knows it. Q waits patiently for the captain’s response, standing there unmoving, so foreign and yet so familiar.

“Q,” Jean-Luc breathes, “I don’t think I really understand what this means…” He stops, looks around him at the stars and the planets and the moons, then turns back to Q. Taking a deep breath, he touches the entity’s hand and brings it up until the palm is resting on his chest.  “I’m willing to try.”

Jean-Luc smiles and Q smiles back. They stand there, two figures alone in the universe, the never-ending universe.

This new never-ending universe, created just for them.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2017 Qcard Big Bang.   
> Based on wonderful artwork by MetalBunny (trash-cardassian on tumblr).
> 
> [Here's a link to their art! Check it out!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11963133/chapters/27051675?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_125638386)


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